Sometimes, you try your best, and it simply isn’t enough. Author Morgan Richter explores the question of “should the main character always be triumphant, even when under-skilled compared to the enemy?” Follow along in the Big Idea for her newest novel, The Understudy to see which nostalgic 1980’s underdog film inspired this idea in the first place.
MORGAN RICHTER:
I was born in 1974, so obviously I think The Karate Kid is a perfect film. This is just logic: Nothing in life ever comes close to the shimmering brilliance of the pop culture one consumes at the age of ten. This also explains why I think Duran Duran is a perfect band, and why I think Miami Vice is a perfect TV series, and why I am, even now, willing to challenge anyone who suggests otherwise to pistols at dawn.
But there’s an idea at the core of The Karate Kid that has tugged at my brain for the past four decades, an idea I ended up revisiting and remixing in my thriller The Understudy, which revolves around the malevolent backstage shenanigans that take place during the production of an avant-garde opera based on the 1968 cult film Barbarella. In my book, Yolanda, the magnetic, gorgeous, and utterly bonkers understudy for the titular role, tries her best to undermine, sabotage, and flat-out murder Kit, her drab professional rival, to snag the lead.
Source: The Big Idea: Morgan Richter | Whatever
Kermit is an omnicompetent individual who grew up in a former bawdy house before relocating to his state’s capital city. His family includes many talented artists and an uncle who founded The Church of Bigfoot. He has a passion for storytelling often exploring new ways to engage audiences.
